THE E-MAIL CAMPAIGN; Slapping Down a Viral Smear

By JEFF ZELENY

Published: December 6, 2007

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign distanced itself yesterday from an Iowa volunteer who forwarded an e-mail message falsely stating that Senator Barack Obama was Muslim and was running for president as a Manchurian candidate.

''This was wholly unauthorized, and we were totally unaware of it,'' said Patti Solis Doyle, Mrs. Clinton's campaign manager. ''Let me be clear: No one should be engaging in this.''

For months, messages have raised questions about whether Mr. Obama was Muslim. He is a Christian who attends Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. The origin of the messages has never been verified, but last month Mr. Obama asked his supporters to fight back, saying: ''You don't have to curse them out. Just tell them that they are misinformed.''

The Clinton campaign took action Wednesday after Gary Hart, a Democratic official in Jones County, Iowa, who is supporting Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, posted his concern on the DailyKos Web site, saying, ''Over the past week or so, I have received two of the most hateful hit pieces on Obama parroting right-wing talking points.''